Reclaimed: How Jesus Restores Our Humanity in a Dehumanized World

We live in an era of polarizing political and religious disagreement. Despite the lip service our society pays to tolerance, it's becoming more and more difficult to look past our differences and to recognize our common humanity. The way that we treat each other is a direct result of how we see one another, and our culture is full of warning signs that we aren't seeing each other correctly. In Reclaimed, author and cultural critic Andy Steiger explores the trend toward dehumanization that underlies our fraught times. People on both sides of the political aisle and from all walks of life share a deep desire for better understanding, justice, and human dignity. Yet we're uncertain how to achieve these aims. Steiger points to Jesus as the basis for rediscovering our common ground and our shared humanity. In Jesus we find not only that humans are unique, valuable, and bearers of rights and responsibilities, but also that our dehumanizing tendencies--our worst inclinations toward inhumanity--can be redeemed and restored. Jesus enables us to be fully human, and it's in him that we rediscover the kind of relationships and society for which so many people today are longing.

About the Author :
Sheri Hiebert (BA, University of the Fraser Valley) is a freelance writer and homeschooling mother of three. She contributed to the book Thinking? Answering Life's Five Biggest Questions. Sheri lives in Chilliwack, BC. Andy Steiger (MA, Biola University) is a pastor at Northview Community Church and the director of Apologetics Canada. He is currently completing a PhD in theological anthropology at Aberdeen University.

Review :
'Here's a clear, creative, and compelling case for how to deal with the cultural conflicts that threaten to tear us apart, and instead to find the foundation for our humanity that can give us the common ground we need. This book will stimulate your thinking, engage your imagination, and ultimately change the way you see others--and even how you view yourself!' 'I spent most of my career assigned to a Crimes Persons unit as a detective in Los Angeles County. It doesn't take long in this environment to witness the disregard humans have for one another. But while homicides represent an extreme expression of our growing intolerance, a more insidious divide widens between us as our culture abandons its Christian foundation. This book describes this danger and calls us to the one solution that can restore our sense of common humanity.' 'I warmly commend this book and its goal of pointing people to the God in relationship with whom we become truly human. We have never lived in a time like this, and this book has never been more important.' 'In this secular age in which we know the cost of everything but the value of nothing, it is imperative we thoughtfully consider the ideas in this book. To a society that has given up introspection and given in to daily distractions, this book ought to help reverse cultural malaise. I highly recommend it.' 'Once you start reading this book, you will have difficulty putting it down. Its stories will draw you in, and its blend of philosophical reasoning and theological insights will make you think about some of the deepest questions one could ever ask: What is it to be human? What leads to human flourishing? And why is it so devastating when we dehumanize others?' 'Only by looking through Christ's eyes can you see the real value of human life, and only by putting on Christ's heart can you love the broken human being. This book will help you to critically think, 'What is the value of human life?'' 'Our culture often devalues children, especially those with a disability. This book is a timely reminder that how we see people affects how we treat them. I highly recommend it to make sure you are seeing people correctly.' 'The arguments that Andy Steiger makes in this book are essential to understanding our cultural moment as we continue that profoundly human quest for truth and meaning. Steiger helps us to reset and to remember the importance of genuine human community.' 'This book allows us to think about what it means to be human and what it means to dehumanize others. It needs to be on the shelf of every Christian thinker.' 'This is a timely and powerful book. We have lost sight of what a human is because we have lost sight of God. Ultimately, this book is a call to better love our neighbors by understanding the faulty worldview that takes so many people captive today.'